Chapter Summaries
Chapter 21:
In this chapter, the two men posing as the duke and the dauphin act out Shakespeare. They practice Romeo and Juliet, and the duke acts out some of Hamlet. He gets some of the words mixed up with other Shakespeare plays, but Huck and Jim still think that the two men are very talented. Their boat next visits Arkansas, where they stop in a small town. In this town, the two men claim they're actors and try to raise money for their performances. During their stay, Huck sees a man being shot by a drunk man, Sherburn, as a consequence for an insult. The shot man is consoled by the town, and the shooter is taken into the woods to be hanged.
Chapter 22:
In chapter 22, Sherburn, the murderer, gets run off by a mob in the town. They run to his house and knock down his fence in the front yard. Sherburn comes out, quieting down the crowd with a rifle. He makes a speech, messing with the crowds' minds. He convices them not to hang him, and he is safe again. Also in the town, there is a circus that Huck attends. Everyone is amazed with the clown that rides a horse, barely hanging on, but Huck is worried about that clown's risk. Later that night is the night of the duke's performance. Only about a dozen people show up, and are rude to him the whole time. Since his performance was a failure, he makes another ad, this time for a performance of "The Royal Nonesuch."
Chapter 23:
In this chapter, "The Royal Nonesuch" puts on a performance, where the dauphin dresses as a wild animal and tricks everyone. The people are upset as for getting ripped off, so they decide to trick the other members of the town. They tell everyone else the play was great, so they go see it to unknowingly get ripped off as well. On the third night of the performance, the whole town comes to get revenge on the duke and dauphin for ripping them off. Huck and the duke run back to the raft and sail away before the crowd can get them. Jim is confused on how such high and mighty people can be so deceiving to people, and Huck explains that in history, the nobles and kings usually lie and trick people. On the boat that night, Jim weeps for his family back home. He remembers the time when he beat his daughter for not following his orders, but without realizing that she couldn't hear him because she went deaf.
Chapter 24:
In chapter 24, the team continues their journey of trickery. This time, Jim wants to come into the town with them, since he doesn't like staying on the raft by himself. The duke decides to dress Jim up in costumes and paint his face, labeling him as a sick Arab. They meet a man who tells them of a Peter Wilks, who had recently died and left his property to his brothers, who he hadn't seen since he was a boy. The man tells them of the Wilks' property, and they continue their journey there. When they go to Wilks' hometown, they pose as the brothers coming to collect their property, and fake misery when they hear of Peter Wilks' death. The dauphin fakes sign language to the duke, since one of the brothers is deaf. The whole act makes Huck really guilty and ashamed.
Discussion Questions
What is Twain's purpose for including Jim's story of his 'Lizabeth?
Twain includes Jim's story of his daughter because it lets the reader see that he cares for his family. It shows that even though he is a slave, he loves his family as much as a white man. Also, it makes people feel bad for Jim, since we see the hard times in his family, and see the reason he is heading home.
What is Sherburn's attitude toward the men attempting to lynch him? What do you think Twain's attitude is?
Sherburn thinks of the men as gullible. He plays tricks with their minds, and talks to them about human nature, and moral thing to do. He also fears them by pointing his gun at them. He doesn't take the crowd seriously, and knows they can be persuaded. I think Twain is saying that the people in charge of the criminal punishments act without thinking. They are easily persuaded, and don't think everything through.
How do the duke and king entice people to see "The Royal Nonesuch"? What do you think Twain is implying about human nature with this?
On the advertisement for "The Royal Nonesuch," it claims that women and children are not allowed. This makes people excited for the performance, as its something worth seeing, since it is off-limits to others. I think Twain is implying that it is human nature to want something you can't have. Women and children aren't allowed to see the performance, so that makes everyone else want to go see it more.
Reflections
I think it's surprising that Huck feels so guilty about the duke and king claiming to be the Wilks. He has spent his whole life playing role-playing games, and pretending he's something he's not. He and his team have already pulled many cons, so what's another? The fact that he feels ashamed about this con shows that knows when something goes too far. He realizes that this con is too much and wants it to end.